Thursday, September 12, 2019

When I first began learning tarot, my first impression of the major arcana was simply, "Oh! I recognize this! It's the hero's journey. These are archetypes." To be fair, I work as a writer and my degrees are in English, so it was a quick jump for me to recognize the cards for what they were. As I learned, it was the moment I realized that reading the cards was a form of storytelling that my readings all snapped into place. The side effect of this realization, however, was that I then wanted to try my hand at writing an actual story with tarot cards.

Using the tarot for story building isn't an unheard of method. Authors such as Stephen King and John Steinbeck purportedly used tarot to build their stories. In addition, teachers such as James Ricklef use storytelling to demonstrate how to connect the cards in readings for actual people. Clearly there is a tight bond between tarot reading and fiction.

I attempted a tarot challenge once in the past, but it was a huge exercise of planning, and I never completed it. When one of the Daily Tarot mods stepped forward to lead a free-form tarot story challenge over the course of the month, I was excited to participate. There were no guidelines. Use tarot anyway you like to develop a story, and share. I liked this much better, because I feel storytelling is a very intuitive process much like tarot. Sure, there are those who like to plan every fine detail, but there's always an alternative approach. I felt like this was my opportunity to make it simple and actually finish a story!

I went classic tarot and decided to use the celtic cross to develop the plot of my story. I'm currently leading a series of discussions about the celtic cross, so I figured this would be a great overlap project.

Planning the Plot with a Celtic Cross

Why reinvent the wheel? The Celtic Cross is a spread which gives great general readings when you want to dig into the overall "plot" of someone's life right now. Why not use it to tell a story? Here's how I connected these cards into "Sacrifices."

1 Self/Present Situation

The particular meaning of the 5 of Swords that really stuck out to me here was being overwhelmed, opposition, and lack of support. Ursuline is completely alone against an army of angry shades. She has successfully held on to her sense of self and maintained some firm protections against the shades, but it really isn't enough. There's a lot of disappointment, and it's not just in the shades that have been successfully turned away.

2 Problem

The Queen of Pentacles in the problem position made me feel like Ursuline's problem needed to something human. And not just human, female. I used the queen's representation very literally to present another character, the witch, who would be extremely problematic for Ursuline and ultimately be her downfall.

I also tend to associate this card with a female friend of my own. Appearing in this crossed position brought to mind the ways her friendship had been problematic for me. It grew into a larger theme of the toxic feminine sacrificing other women to survive.

3 Past

Ursuline has experienced or partook in a misuse of power. The King of Swords shows up reversed, and it's this unethical king that she constantly bemoans. According to Ursuline, the shades are asking for more than they are owed. As the central figure of the story, we have to trust her judgement. However, it's unclear if Ursuline has abused her own power and not given proper dues to those who have supported her, or if she has made some unwise decisions on where to gain her power.

It sets the stage for the uneasiness of the present in the 5 of Swords. Is Ursuline the girl clutching the two swords or is she the disarmed and disappointed knight walking away? There's a bit of flow in her character to be both. And I wanted that to be there since the beauty of tarot is that the subjectivity of each card is up to the reader.

4 Future

The future position in a celtic cross spread throws off a lot of readers, and though it informs the outcome, it is not the outcome. It is what happens tomorrow, next, leading up to the outcome. And though Judgement is a card about resurrection, rebirth, and fresh starts, it is exactly this step forward that brings Ursuline toward her ending. It's impossible to say if she could have held the shades away forever on her own, but she definitely moved toward the dark outcome of the reversed Moon by looking for a new opportunity.

5 Conscious

I often interpret this position not just as consciousness, but higher consciousness -- a message from the higher self. The 4 of Swords is another card of the mind. Ursuline's current state is one of constant conflict. She lives in the back and forth of turmoil in the 5 of Swords. She needs rest. She knows she needs rest, but it's her unconscious desires that inform the method she chooses of finding rest.

6 Unconscious

There are only two places that cups show up in this reading -- in this position and hopes and fears. I think there's a very clear line drawn here. The 9 of Cups is incredibly hopeful, and I feel informs who Ursuline is as a person. There's an underlying warmth to her, a deep ability to love and be loved. The unfortunate truth about our unconscious influences, however, is our tendency to project ourselves onto others. When we don't recognize the reflection as our own, we make the mistake of believing we see the better parts of ourselves in others.

7 Emotions/Personal Influence

Urusline truly believes her situation is unjust. This sense of unfairness comes from Justice reversed. Perhaps her situation is truly unfair, but there is a greater cosmic sense of justice that is beyond her. She is dealing with cosmic/spiritual beings that are by nature greater than her, but she's doesn't seem to recognize them as divine. She has a strong sense of what she believes to be just, but who is she to decide?

8 External Influences

The Knight of Swords rode into this position reversed, and that's when I knew there had to be a steely, stabby influence in the story. The reversed knight here is one who is bitter, resents the happiness of other, and disrespects women, but how would this come into play? Our heroine is certain that her own divinity is equal in value to that of the shades. Though they have clearly provided her with something she wouldn't otherwise have, she is resolute that she has paid them fairly for it. So, whatever it is that she has given is either being overvalued by her, or undervalued by the shades.

I personally believe we all have a piece of divinity within us, and I think the end of the story finally lends some insight to the conflict between Ursuline and the shades. In exchange for something they gave her, they took everything.

9 Hopes & Fears

The Page of Cups is such a happy, loving page, but the poor little reversed page fears neglect. The fear of being alone was heavy enough to motivate Ursuline to a seemingly uncharacteristic act. She's been so cautious, so why does she let down her guard for the witch? Ursuline's unconscious self combines with her fear of being alone, of not being recognized for who she is, and a need to authentically express herself with others overrides her caution. Her last act is an act of desperation and love.

10 Outcome

For those who saw my Instagram post prior to the story, you probably suspected some deceit would come into play for the ending. The reversed Moon is a card of hidden intentions, lies, and betrayal. The ties to lunacy also played in as I wrote the story as well. I didn't want Ursuline to appear as a perfectly well-reasoned character, and I wanted the world she lived in to be somewhat fantastic. I do feel I missed some opportunity with this card, as the story tied to it is the one of Blodeuwedd and the Lake of Maidens.

After Initial Planning

Describing how these cards tied to the story after the fact is all well and good, but if I were to be honest, it took me a long time to tie it together. In fact, I toyed with a lot of ideas and none quite fit until the name Ursuline popped into my head. Unfortunately this only happened after I procrastinated writing by doing another spread to try to understand the character the events outlined in the Celtic Cross were happening to.

It definitely made me realize that perhaps those long arduous challenges which outline the millions of little details weren't so frivolous after all. By the end of it, I had planned a plot and worked on character development which I'll be covering in a future post!

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

In our Daily Tarot server, we like to have a bit of fun with tarot from time to time. This month's challenge was to create a story using tarot, something I've been meaning to try for a while. I got a lot of false starts with my endeavor, but ultimately I think it came together.

For planning the story itself, I used a Celtic Cross spread with my Llewellyn deck. For character development, I used a Mandala spread (personality analysis spread) with my Mildred Payne Secret Pocket Oracle deck. I wanted the story to be sort of fanciful, but also strange and more than a little bit creepy. Hopefully I achieved that. I don't want to make this post excessively long, so I plan to share more insight into my tarot story planning process and how I connected each of those spreads to my story in a future post.

So, with no further ado, here is my story. Please be forewarned, there is some graphic violence!

Sacrifices

Ursuline could still hear them. Asking for more. Expecting more. More. More. More. No sacrifice was quite enough, and she had become frightened they were coming for her. They were the sort who would come for her and take what they felt they deserved. Talismans weren’t enough. She gazed at her useless display of jewelry and wondered if the power they held would be enough for someone else. Probably. Most people make the proper sacrifices.

Most people acknowledge their divinity. Ursuline was not most people.

She wanted to be good, and Ursuline tried so hard to make them happy. It’s not that she didn’t want to please the spirits. She felt it fair to give them the appropriate tributes for the kindnesses they showed her, but they just howled louder in her ears – angry and unappeased. They skittered just around the corners of her sight, never allowing her to forget they were near and coming for the rest of what she owed.

Sometimes they showed her visions. Horrific and tortured scenes demonstrating what they wanted from her. They wanted her.

Other times she found little specks of things here and there. Gentle reminders of the nightmares in store for her. The specks were as powerful as the unexpurgated horrors she’d witnessed. Each speck brought to the forefront of her mind the tortured fantasies they showed her, playing over and over. She didn’t have enough talismans. Her power wasn’t enough to stop them, and it never would be.

She had attempted amulets. Little sacks of protection. Jars of nasty barriers. Charged with her energy, she’d carry them off to obscure locations to draw away the nasties. She could feel the screaming meemies hurtling toward the diversions, circling and shrieking. She dimmed her light and hid in the darkness where she became lost. If she didn’t know where she was, then they couldn’t know either.

Ursuline was careful about when she turned on her lights. When visitors came, she peered through the darkness, eyes long accustomed, to see who came to call. She weighed carefully their stature to determine if they could overpower her. If they presented too substantial of a threat, she hid, never letting them know she was there. She was certain they had envoys carrying with them their power and their desire to force Ursuline to make the proper sacrifices.

Once it had occurred to her that perhaps there were others. Others like her with angry, buzzing wraiths demanding more than their fair share. Others like her who were unyielding, doling out proper repayments and then hiding in the shadows when they snatched for more. Perhaps her and another could confederate to form a more commanding force—one they must acquiesce to, one they must accept their allowance from, and leave her and the others be. So, she turned on one miniscule light and ventured from her dark abode to find other small lights glistening in the muggy abyss.

When Ursuline found another cottage nestled quietly away, she raised her personal barriers and began the long process of surveilling the possible cohort. Ursuline watched her closely. She watched her making the proper sacrifices, the exact sacrifices she herself had left, perhaps even less. But they came and took their dues and left without bothering the woman for more. Few of the banshees lingered. Ursuline’s curiosity quickened alongside her admiration for the tiny forest witch.

Eventually she felt herself compelled to come forward and make herself known. As Ursuline moved toward the witch, she felt the witch’s gaze move up from her work to Ursuline. Her gaze took all of Ursuline in, and she smiled, as if expecting her. Ursuline disarmed her personal barriers, fearing she may seem an off-putting encroacher otherwise. The witch’s continued gaze empowered Ursuline to begin, and so she launched into the story of why she had come. She told the witch of the forces beyond the light. She spoke of their evil envoys and her persistent evasion of them. The last bit she hesitated and stumbled over as she told her about the visions.

The witch’s gaze softened, and she gestured Ursuline to her side. Ursuline’s heart raced. The shadows skittered away from the edges of her vision. It seemed as though everything around the witch and her cottage had begun to emanate a warm, pulsating glow. The darkness flitted away as it was engulfed with light. Ursuline’s own small lantern flickered under the heaviness of the radiance. She searched about for shadows, fearing the sudden brilliance would bring them near, but she found none. Feeling suddenly brave in their absence, Ursuline answered the witch’s beckon.

The witch took Ursuline by the hand, turning her away from her and toward the light’s source. Blinded, she could no longer make out where the light began or ended. She panicked slightly, and the witch pulled her back against her body and began to whisper softly in her ear all her secrets of survival in the abyss. The words buzzed together warm and soft, and Ursuline became calm again. The words kept flowing from the witch, and they bumped together and overlapped in ways that obscured their meaning but still seemed to form together a solid statement.

Ursuline leaned back into the witch believing a great revelation had begun. The witch stroked Ursuline’s hair gently, whispered one last alarming phrase, and as Ursuline’s eyes widened in fright, she saw light glint dangerously off steel. Ursuline felt all the words flow from her neck, red and sticky, never to come back. Her knees buckled, and the witch helped her gently to the ground. Her whispers resumed as she stroked Ursuline’s hair back from her face. The witch leaned in, her whispers fading further away as she got closer, and placed her lips delicately on Ursuline’s forehead. Then on Ursuline’s lips. Then on her sanguine neck. The witch leaned back with her reddened lips and giggled as Ursuline gurgled.

The blinding light vanished, snapping away quickly to reveal a mass of shadows. Each came and took from Ursuline her dues. The darkness spread from her as light slowly faded from her eyes. She stared blankly as they groped about, carrying their dues away into the gloom. She watched each piece twinkle away like fireflies desperately trying to light a void. Her eyes continued to stare, blank and empty, as the witch took her cold hand to her lips, nibbling gently. The ground rose up around her as she dissolved slowly into it. As the earth engulfed Ursuline’s body, the witch released her hand and stood to walk away unaccosted by ravenous shades.

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Many tarot readers enjoy incorporating crystals with their readings, creating lovely grids or just keeping one or two on hand during a reading. Others store their decks with crystals to cleanse or charge decks with the energy of the stone.

I am personally not an extravagant user of crystals, but I love them, and I love having them around. I love wearing them. I feel like I have a crystal necklace for almost every occasion, and that is simply not enough! When doing a reading that I feel connects to a specific type of crystal, I have it nearby. I also a few particular ones nearby for all readings (selenite, labradorite, quartz, and aqua aura quartz). For romance readings, or ones I feel require an extra boost of love, I include some rose quartz. My first and favorite deck is stored lovingly with a crystal quartz and a rose quartz.

Rose quartz is one that over the years has developed a special place in my heart. It was my first crystal purchase, and my first foray into finding healing through crystals.

Rose Quartz Meaning & Properties

Rose quartz is most closely associated with love, romance, and the heart chakra. It can open the heart to giving and receiving love, improve bonds, and heal emotional wounds. Though most people primarily tie this deeply loving stone to the purpose of attraction, it can help with self love as well. It increases sexual energy (possibly a by-product of increased self-love and creativity), and is a wonderful stone to keep near the bedroom.

For use with tarot readings, I personally like to include the stone anytime I do reading about relationships or other bonds. Rose quartz is not just for romantic relationships, but can be for familial ones such as a relationship with a mother. I also like to include it when I have the sense that some element of self-love or emotional healing may be tied to the reading at hand.

Rose Quartz in My Life

My first rose quartz was a pendant necklace with a snake wrapped around the top. I didn't know much about crystals at the time, but I knew my heart needed healing. After dealing with serious health issues, a devastating breakup, deep depression, and struggles with loving myself and my body, everything I read about the crystal sounded like exactly what I needed.

I bought it thinking to attract partners, and I certainly did. At the time, I needed love outside of myself because I had none left inside for me. I was struggling with my sense of self as a woman, and my identity as both a spiritual human and a lover. All was well until I suddenly developed a case of clumsy fingers and dropped the crystal, breaking it in half.

I was devastated by the loss. Up to this point, I felt that the crystal had been giving me such a boost. But perhaps it was time for me and this particular rose quartz to part ways. I gave one half to a friend I felt needed the boost in their life. I found another beautiful chunk of rose quartz which I placed on my desk at work, and went on merrily. At least as long as I was near my wonderful office chunk of love crystal.

I was in a very difficult time of my life, and harder times were coming in sheep's clothing. Perhaps this instance of the crystal breaking was more of a warning than a merry parting. I began to backslide and struggle again as I allowed outer influences to impede my personal growth. However, I also began seeking solace in other places, places which would help me find my own inner love.

Often when a crystal breaks, it could be warning of impending danger, but more likely it's time for you to move on to bigger things. Perhaps your energy has begun to resonate too highly for the current stone. Perhaps it has simply done the work it needs to do in your life. Either way, much like the Tower, it's a symbol of an impending shift to a new direction or a higher vibration. I'm glad that stone broke. I'm happy with the direction I went after and even the mistakes I made because they led me in a better, stronger direction.

Working with crystals brings beautiful energy into my life, especially when working with my favorite, the rose quartz. However, it's important to remember crystals are just an aid. They lend energy, they amplify, but they are not a crutch. They come and go in your life as resources along your journey, but ultimately the healing work is yours alone.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

It's that time yet again when I participate in the Tarot Blog Hop! For this one, we celebrate the holiday of Lughnasadh/Lammas and the importance of names. Under either name, the holiday celebrates the first harvest and has strong ties to wheat and bread.

Lugh, for whom the holiday is named, is tied closely to the Welsh Lleu Llaw Gyffes who appears in my Llewellyn deck as The Sun. The sun is a card that appears frequently in my blog hop readings, but I don't feel that I have ever fully explored his story beyond the hope he gives me.

As both Lugh and Lleu, he is tied to the sun, though his ties to the harvest are stronger in his incarnation as Lugh. As Lugh, he was destined to kill his grandfather, and so as an unnamed babe he was tossed into the sea. He came to be raised by foster parents and given their names and allying him to their families. As Lleu, his mother denied him a name, and thereby denied his existence and power. Over time with the help of his uncle, he was able to receive the gifts he was denied. Their stories share many similarities and each incarnation, both Celtic and Welsh, are given an abundance of names which they are known by. However, each have their own legend, their own set of names, and seem to be distinct from each other. The tie that binds them as related exists only in the roots of their names and connection to the sun.

Naming has the ability to give or take power, bind loyalties, and reveal or hide truths. Lleu's mother tried to deny his spirit the power a name would give him. Lugh's grandfather attempted to divert destiny through a similar solution. Neither worked, because at their core there was a truth to their existence which in turn manifested the names they came to be known by.

My first encounter with the concept of names giving power over things was in the Wizard of Earthseaseries by Ursula K. LeGuin. By learning the true names of things, wizards were able to call on ancient powers and face dragons who would have otherwise made a meal of anyone daring to enter their realms. The wizards themselves protect the knowledge of their true names to prevent others from having power over them. We see this concept appear in other popular literature such as Harry Potter's lack of fear of speaking Voldemort's name. It appears again in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet when Juliet laments that no matter what name Romeo existed under she would love him the same, but that as a Montague, she is unable to marry him.

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

She may argue that there's no power to a name, but she undermines her own premise by asking that he break his binds to his name (and family) by taking another. There is magic in the underlying truth of a name and the connections it forms. But would changing his name truly change the truth of his heritage? Would it change who he is? It may break a binding to family, but he will always be their blood.

Much as deities have many named aspects, and each are called upon according to purpose, so it is as well on earth. Plants have a common and scientific names. Cats have their true name known only to them and the many names given to them as they pass through the lives of humans. We each have a given name, a family name, and some of us a nickname or other chosen name. Does it change who we are or just manifest an aspect of our truth?

Often artists resonate with specific aspects of tarot cards and change or modify the names of some cards. In some, they change the order according to their own truth. However, does this change the power of the card? Does it change its core truth? I would argue that it does not. The card is always tied to its inspiration. It carries with it the meanings and its history. A name may obscure those ties or attempt to break them, but in the breaking does it only bind it more strongly as an influence. The changing of a name simply highlights an aspect which may have been less clear previously.

And so as Lugh and Lleu are not the same, their truths represent similar meanings to both the Irish and the Welsh. They are inextricably tied to one another - separate and inseparable in being. And thus the tarot continues to be a constant study as we seek to learn the truths at the core of each iteration of the cards and so find how those truths manifest in our lives.

This post is part of a series. Use the navigation to browse ahead or behind in the series, or visit the master list to go directly to a blogger. If you are a tarot reader with a blog and wish to join future hops, join our TarotBlogHop Facebook group.

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

A year ago, I would have opened this post with Ostara or
Spring Equinox greetings. Instead this year I wish all a happy Alban Eiler. This
year I’m excited to announce I will be initiated into the Bardic grade of the
Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids. When I began my journey with tarot many
years ago, I never thought it would ultimately lead me in this direction. It
certainly opened my eyes to new spiritualities. In fact, I tried on eclectic for
quite a while until I found the grove to which I currently belong.

Tarot has been the start of many journeys for me and impetus
to join many of the groups to which I’ve found myself belonging. Though life
kept me more than a bit distracted last year, I’m happy to be participating in
another blog hop. I’m quite terrible at keeping my blog up-to-date without the
group’s friendly nudges to write again – a practice which I’ve promised myself
I’d do more of. So, here I am, celebrating the equinox and bringing another
post to bloom!

For this fabulous hop, our theme is tarot muses, of which I’ve
chosen three. For me, the Queen of Wands, Queen of Swords, and 9 of Pentacles
has factored heavily into my growth throughout the year. I’m happy to find
myself at a place in life where I find myself reaping the benefits of their
lessons. With that, I’d love to share the lessons I’ve learned from each of
these ladies.

The Linestrider Tarot by Siolo Thompson

I chose for this post to work with my Linestrider deck by Siolo
Thompson. Her beautiful watercolor designs evoke images of spring, not to
mention her ability to encapsulate so much emotion in simple (and incredibly
feminine) images truly stir my soul.

Queen of Wands:

The Queen of Wands is a woman who knows and owns her power.
Much like the Magician, if she wills it, she can manifest it. Often pictured
with a black cat, her ties to the occult are clear. She’s full of power, but
not just any power, unbridled feminine power.

She lives in the present. She is here, and she is now. Her
instincts steer her in the right direction, and when they don’t, she owns her ‘oopsies’
with the grace of a queen. There’re no apologies from this one. In fact, her passion
can burn a bit too hot for some. At times she can be forget herself and burn
those close to her.

This lust for life is contagious and others want a taste of
it for themselves. It’s this desire the queen can manipulate for her own ends –
may they be well intentioned or not.

After many surgeries, female
power is one I’ve struggled with repeatedly. I have moments where I feel her
shining through me, only to feel her slip away with a loud hiss. The queens all
must balance the element of water with their suit’s native element, and for the
queen of wands, it’s a battle between fire and water. It is here she has
another connection to the major arcana card, Temperance.

As my astrological card,
Temperance is yet another card I’ve spent much time contemplating. Balance is
important in all things, but how do you allow the flow of water without it extinguishing
the fire within? It’s this queen who helps me understand how to both feel and
flame.

Queen of Swords:
Almost in opposition to the Queen of Wands is the Queen of
Swords. Ruled by air, she is not here or now. She’s a woman lost in thought,
full of intellect, and contemplating the wisest steps to the future she wants.
This queen can manifest as well, but it is the product of much planning. She
has a dream and she can bring together all the right information to plan the
path forward.

However, her calculations can be cold. Her stance against
anyone who moves against her or simply has the misfortune of standing in her
way are cruel. She’s not a heartless woman though. As with all queens, her air
is balanced with water. It can make her anxious and unsure that her path
forward is the right one. She lacks the passion the queen of wands embodies,
and so she struggles with the concept of simply going with her gut.

Her unparalleled ability to put aside emotion and settle
swiftly on facts makes her a powerful force to channel when facing tasks which
require you to put aside deep hurts and continue forward with sword swinging.
It is her that keeps me walking when my fire has long since burned out, and I’ve
lost faith in myself. She is a true, though harsh, sister to the queen of
wands.

9 of Pentacles:
There is one card within the minor arcana that has a power
and personality so strong that it could easily join the court cards on a night
out should it so choose. The 9 of Pentacles functions, for me at least, almost
as a courtesan to the court cards. She is strong, powerful, and self-made. She
has manifested greatness into her life using all her skills as a woman. Falcon
in hand, her queen of swords-esque fierceness is unquestionable. Her wit is
sharp, and with it she has felled many who stood in her path.

It is in the spirit of the Queen of Wands, however, that she
relaxes provocatively amongst her finery. She enjoys the now of her
achievements, and her earthiness may have been helpful in winning some of her
battles. She has done much to deserve her respite, and she will do much more to
continue her life of luxury.

She reminds me to stop and look around me and congratulate
myself on my achievements. It’s okay to stop for a while to enjoy yourself.
However, all of it was hard-won. Even in leisure I must remain sharp. More is
always around the corner, and the work never ends. By nature of being minor
arcana, though, she carries with her another lesson the queens more softly embody.
Her nine-ness resonates with incompleteness. She is only a stop along the way
to more, to better, to everything. She could remain stuck as a nine forever,
and it wouldn’t be a horrible place to stay, but nothing is meant to remain in
stasis. Eventually her lust for adventure will bring her to the next stop on
the way, which is the 10 of pentacles.

This lesson is one I struggle with. My inner
queens are often at odds at how to move into this next stage and often at odds over
if I truly even want to. However, in the spirit of Alban Eiler I must
eventually learn to embrace new adventures and try new things to truly blossom.

This post is part of a series. Use the navigation to browse ahead or behind in the series, or visit the master list to go directly to a blogger. If you are a tarot reader with a blog and wish to join future hops, join our TarotBlogHop Facebook group.